Chris Gray, who once served in the Air Force reserves with Mark Waller, endorsed Waller’s bid for for the GOP nomination for attorney general at a campaign kickoff Monday in Denver. (Joe Amon, The Denver Post)

Republican state Rep. Mark Waller’s kickoff for attorney general this week seemed like an episode of “This is Your Life,” in large part thanks to a friend who traveled from Atlanta to Denver for the announcement.

Chris Gray and Waller served together in the Air Force Reserves and remained close friends even after those careers ended and new ones began.

“I think Mark is the right guy. He has the right personality. He has the energy. He has the work ethic. And he has the desire to do this,” Gray said.

Gray often stayed with Waller’s family in Colorado Springs when he reported for reserve duty and he recalled lifting Waller’s then 6-year-old daughter Camille to put the star on the Christmas tree when her dad was gone on duty one year.

House Minority Leader Mark Waller said today he plans to make a “big announcement” in Denver on July 1 and here’s a clue about what’s going to happen: The 10 a.m. event will happen at the University of Denver’s College of Law.

The Colorado Springs Republican has long been mentioned as a possible candidate for attorney general in 2014, when Republican John Suthers is term limited. So far, one Republican already has announced for the race, Cynthia Coffman, who is the No. 2 person in the AG’s office. Check out her website.

Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck also is expected to enter the GOP primary for attorney general.

Only one Democrat, former Adams County District Attorney Don Quick, is running. Democrat Morgan Carroll, the Senate majority leader, had been urged to run by supporters who were impressed with her vision of consumer protection for the office, but she said Monday she is not running.

When I saw state Sen. Morgan Carroll and former Adams County District Attorney Don Quick standing together at the state Capitol today, I whipped out my camera, walked over and said, “So, is this a primary picture?”

“No,” Carroll said. “I’m not running.”

Quick earlier announced he was seeking the Democratic nomination for attorney general. Supporters of Carroll, an Aurora Democrat and the Senate majority leader, had urged her to do the same.

Quick later told me that he had just asked Carroll if she wanted to grab a cup of coffee sometime because he wanted to know if she was going to run, and then I barged in and got his answer for him. (Both Carroll and Quick were at the Capitol to support Democrat Betsy Markey, a former congresswoman who announced she was running for the Democratic nomination for state treasurer.)

So, it appears Quick will be the lone Democrat running in the 2014 race, but the GOP primary for AG could be a barn burner. Cynthia Coffman, who currently is the No. 2 person at the AG’s office, has officially announced she is running for the GOP nomination. House Minority Leader Mark Waller and Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck also are expected to run for the Republican nomination.

Attorney General John Suthers, a Republican, is term limited after 2014.

Surrounded by metro area law enforcement officials, 17th Judicial District Attorney Don Quick describes Operation Sweet Leaf which involved the arrest of several individuals and confiscation of sever illegal marijuana grows in multiple counties. Kathryn Scott Osler, The Denver Post

Former Adams County District Attorney Don Quick is expected to kick off his race Monday with a big VIP alongside.

Ken Salazar – former Secretary of the Interior and Colorado senator – will help bring attention to Quick’s big day. Quick served as deputy of criminal prosecutions and later as top deputy for Attorney General Salazar back in the day.

As the legislative session nears its end, questions have surfaced over whether House Minority Leader Mark Waller will formally announce a run for Attorney General, and if he will step down from leadership if that happens.

Waller, a Colorado Springs Republican, has led House Republicans since the party lost its majority in the 2012 election.

Among the names floated as the likely successor to Waller are Republican Reps. Brian DelGrosso of Loveland and Libby Szabo of Arvada, say several lawmakers and Capitol lobbyists.

“Some have said it’s between Libby and DelGrosso,” said Rep. Frank McNulty, R- Highlands Ranch, who served as House Speaker after the 2010 election. “At some point if he (Waller) chooses to run for another office, then the caucus would need to choose a new leader.”

But McNulty, like many House Republicans interviewed Wednesday, including Waller, stressed that the caucus’ sole focus is on the remainder of the 2013 session, which is scheduled to end a week from today.

“I’m focused on getting through the end of the session,” Waller said. “My job is to focus on the best policy for Coloradans.”

Szabo said if Waller does run for Attorney General, “then it is widely understood he’s going to step down.”

The Republican side of the House was empty early this morning during roll call. (Lynn Bartels)

Exhausted lawmakers snapped Friday night, with Democrats and Republicans trading barbs over a procedural move before angry GOP members fled the chambers.

“We’re tired of being bullied,” said House Minority Leader Mark Waller, R-Colorado Springs. “You guys can do this on your own.”

Speaker Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver, countered that the House needed to adjourn before midnight so it could go back into session after midnight without killing bills debated on Friday. “We are not shutting off debate,” he said. “You can resume.”

Republicans eventually returned, but the dust-up was just the latest blowup in a session that has become increasingly tense. The Denver Post on Sunday takes a look at the 2013 session, a noisy affair marked by controversy and a bruising pace.

A pregnant woman struck by a hit-and-run driver in Denver’s Stapleton neighborhood in 2011 lost her baby and served as the inspiration for a bill at the Capitol. (The Denver Post)

To no one’s surprise, a bill aimed at charging offenders who kill a pregnant woman’s baby during a crime — such as a drunken-driving crash — turned into a debate on abortion in the Senate.

It’s the third year in a row lawmakers have tackled the subject, and each time abortion has become an issue.

Under Colorado law, if a woman’s baby is killed during a crime there is no way to charge the offender. That would change under House Bill 1154, which received initial approval in the Democratic-controlled Senate. The bill creates new offenses for unlawful termination of pregnancy.

It already has passed the House, where it received strong bi-partisan support although opponents also raised the abortion issue. A formal vote is expected Monday in the Senate.

[media-credit id=302 align=”alignright” width=”270″][/media-credit] Rep. Jerry Sonnenberg, R-Sterling, talked privately on the side of the House chambers late Thursday with Rep. Dan Pabon, D-Denver, after Pabon introduced a budget amendment that infuriated Republicans.

A budget debate in the Colorado House blew up late Thursday after a final amendment by a Democrat that Republicans argued was akin to a touchdown victory dance and spiking the ball in their faces.

Republican Rep. Cheri Gerou of Evergreen raced across the House chamber to yell at her two Joint Budget Committee colleagues, Democrats Claire Levy of Boulder and Crisanta Duran of Denver, telling them the move cost them GOP votes on the budget. Duran responded that Gerou was an example of Republican childishness.

After the House adjourned at 10:13 p.m., Gerou also ripped a fellow Republican, Rep. Lori Saine of Dacono, saying her comments during the budget debate didn’t help the situation.

UPDATE:“If you’re on the dole, you shouldn’t be on the pole,” says a Republican lawmaker.

[media-credit id=302 align=”alignnone” width=”495″][/media-credit] Rep. Dan Pabon, the guy in the blue shirt and a Denver Democrat, is surrounded by Republican lawmakers who supported an amendment prohibiting welfare benefits from being withdrawn from ATM machines at strip clubs.

During a budget debate on the House floor tonight, Democrat Rep. Dan Pabon and a group of Republican lawmakers offered an amendment dealing with a hot topic that’s been debated before: ATM withdrawals of welfare money at strip clubs, casinos and liquor stores.

A bill sponsored by Pabon to prohibit that practice at strip clubs and adult entertainment joints, in addition to already banned locations, passed the House but died in the Senate two years ago.

Congress has since passed a nearly identical measure, and some House Republicans wanted to comply with the new federal law by offering the ban in a budget amendment. They asked Pabon, apparently a guy ahead of his time, for his support. Gladly, the assistant majority leader said.

But Democrats defeated the amendment, which didn’t go unnoticed by House Minority Leader Mark Waller, R-Colorado Springs, who gleefully pointed out to Pabon how his own caucus just rolled its third-ranking member.

Later in the debate, as Rep. Lois Landgraf, R-Fountain, tried to offer the amendment again, she said, “If you’re on the dole, you shouldn’t be on the pole.”

That was too much for Rep. Jenise May, D-Aurora, who told her colleagues she works in a poor part of town where there are no banks or grocery stores close by and some constituent don’t have cars. She said they withdraw their welfare benefits from a strip club or liquor store ATM because it is close to their home.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.